Staff W of the English Wordbook.
Basic abbreviations:
- OE = Old English
- ME = Middle English
- SC = Scots
- WF = West Frish
- NF = North Frish
- SF = Saterlandish Frish
- WLG = West Low Theech
- ELG = East Low Theech
- NL = Netherlandish
- NHG = New High Theech
- IC = Icelandish
- HIC = High Icelandish
- NO = Nornish
- SW = Swedish
- DN = Danish
- MLG = Middle Low Theech
- MNL = Middle Netherlandish
- MHG = Middle High Theech
- OF = Old Frish
- OS = Old Saxish
- OHG = Old High Theech
- ON = Old Norse
- GO = Gottish
- PWG = Or-West-Theedish
- PG = Or-Theedish
For a full list of etymological and other abbreviations used in these wordlists, see: Offshortenings.
| Chancery English | Class | Anglish/English | ||
| Attested | Unattested | |||
| W (double U) | letter | - | wee, wynn | |
| wager | n/vb | lay, bet, stake, pledge, flutter, put on, long shot | - | |
| waiter | n | dishbearer | berman (<ME bērman), dishthane (<OE discþegn/discþēn), meatthane (<OE meteþegn) | |
| waive | vb | yield, forsake, forgo; overlook | - | |
| wall (<PWG) | n | wough | sundercleat (from Minecraft) | |
| wallpaper | n | - | wallleaf, wallbilth (wall is a child of PG *wallaz 'wall, barrier'), waughleaf, waughbilth | |
| walrus (<NL) | n | sea horse | horsewhale (calque), tuskseal | |
| wapiti | n | (lesser) elk | - | |
| war (<late OE <Old Northern French <Frankish <PG) | n | fight | awin (<ME iwin), wye (<ME wī ⁊ <OE wīg), orlay (<OE orlege; cf. WF oarloch), gouth (<OE gūð) | |
| War Minister | n | - | wyeambighter | |
| warrior | n | fighter | wyeman (<OE wīgman), wyer, ferdman, gouthloker (<OE gúðgeláca), sedge, bernwyer (<OE beornwíga), ferdrink (<OE ferdrinc), hildthrim (<OE hildeþremma), harrier (cf. ON einherjar) youth: dreng (<OE) | |
| waste | vb | blow, fiddle away, lose, smash, wreck, throw away | reave, fornim, fortake | |
| waste | n | chaff, dross, dust; barren, heath, no man's land, westen; dirt, dung, slops | - | |
| waste | adj | bony, dead, stark | - | |
| wasteland | n | barren, dryland, heath, no-man's-land, westen | bareland | |
| watch cap | n | beanie | knit hat, woolly hat | |
| watermelon | n | - | waterrindberry, watershellberry, waterbarkberry | |
| website | n | webside | webbook (from web + book, referencing the fact that they are composed of pages), webstead | |
| webcam | n | - | webfanger (from web + bildfanger) | |
| whiskey | n | jack | lifewater, quick water, quick ea | |
| (-)wick/wich (<PG) | n/sfx | (-)thorpe, -by (<ON) | (-)wigh (<PG *wīhsą) | |
| wiggle | vb | shake, cradle | wedgel (from wedge + -el) | |
| wig | n | - | head-topper (slang) | |
| will-o'-the-wisp | n | elf-fire | ghost-fire, walking-fire | |
| window (<ON) | n | eyethurl, windor | eyedoor (<OE ēagdūru), fenester (<OE; cf. WF finster, ELG Finster) | |
| word salad | n | - | word addle | |
| World War One | n | - | First Worldwye | |
| World War Two | n | - | Other Worldwye, Twoth Worldwye | |
| wreckage | n | loss, ashes, wrack, wreck | - | |